Game of the Week preview: Undefeated Flint Powers football team charges into regional finals matchup against Portland

Powers Catholic High School's head coach, Bob Buckel, leads his team toward their sideline following their 34-0 district title victory over Frankenmuth on Friday, November 2, 2012 in Burton, Mich. (Griffin Moores | MLive.com)

Powers Catholic High School's Nick Sullivan runs for a touchdown as Frankenmuth's Ian Fischer futilely attempts to tackle him by clinging to his jersey during the district title game. (Griffin Moores | MLive.com)

The Portland Red Raiders, led by coach John Novara, hoist their first district championship trophy after demolishing Olivet 36-0 on Friday, Nov. 2, 2012. ((Dominick Mastrangelo | MLive.com))

FLINT, MI – Playing on Motown's Ford Field in late November is what truly determines a successful high school football season in Michigan.

The undefeated, defending 2012 state champion Flint Powers football team is a couple of wins away from returning to Detroit for the finals, but each opponent is tougher as Powers attempts a repeat championship.

This week, Powers is up against a gritty Portland team with a regional title at stake.

“We have to keep the mentality that they want to beat us just as bad as we want to beat them,” said Powers senior Nick Sullivan, who scored a passing, receiving and rushing touchdown in the Chargers' 34-0 win over Frankenmuth last week. “So we just have to come out and prove ourselves Friday and try to show them who the better team is.”

Powers (11-0) will host Portland on Friday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. at Holy Redeemer Field in Burton. Portland (10-1) is coming off of its first-ever district championship with a 36-0 shutout victory over Olivet last week, despite nine straight playoff appearances since 2003.

“I’m sure Portland’s going to be as hungry as they’ve ever been,” Powers coach Bob Buckel said. “For the last couple of years, Portland has not been able to get past Lansing Catholic Central and it worked out this year that Olivet beat them, so they didn’t have to play and won a district for the first time.

“I’m sure they feel like anyone else, that they’re all-the-way capable of going to Ford Field,” he added.

Portland is coached by John Novara. The team's defense has allowed more than 14 points in only one game this season. Lansing Catholic Central posted 41 points when it handed Portland its only loss in Week 7.

Offensively, Portland likes to run the ball and use its athletic guards to its advantage.

That won’t change against Powers.

“We’re a run-first football team and then we’ll throw it second, so we will try to keep the ball and play the control game and not let their powerful offensive weapons on the field if we can,” Novara said. “We will mix it up a little bit, but we’re a run-first team.”

Quarterback Tanner Allison, running back Jacob Kimmell and wide receiver Auston Brandt are Portland’s stars on offense. Kimmel has rushed for over 1,200 yards this season and fullback Caleb Hickling has amassed nearly 800 yards as a dual threat.

Although passing isn’t the team’s first priority, Allison has great accuracy when he decides to use his arm and Brandt is his favorite target. Novara expects Powers to be the best team that they’ve faced all season long. However, he feels his team is ready to get over the hump and upset the potential state champs this week.

“We can’t make mistakes,” Novara said. “We’ve just got to take care of our end of business and we know they’re going to make some plays with their talented group. They’re a solid football team.”

The Red Raiders have improved dramatically throughout the course of the season and Buckel has taken notice.

“They are very experienced defensively with 10 starters back this year on defense,” Buckel said of Portland. “They are really physical on offense and I just look at them as a very physical team that’s going to pound us a little bit.”

Portland isn’t going to be a team that Powers will be able to push around.

“Our offense is going to have to be clicking on all cylinders so I think this week it’s just going to have to be a lot of balance,” Buckel said. “We ran the ball well last week and Prescott Myers had a big game, but I would expect them to try to double him or shut him down a little bit. So everyone on the offense is going to have to catch the ball this week because we’re going to really have to spread them out a little bit and try to move it that way.”